Gu Chi reported the experiment results to Professor Yu, and as expected, he was met with an excited burst of laughter from the other end of the communicator.
Professor Yu’s voice trembled with enthusiasm.
“Brilliant! I’ll start studying Zhang Bin’s crystal nucleus right away. If things go well, we might have a prototype detector by the time you return to headquarters.”
He paused, then added, “That zombie leader—Bai Qing, was it? If possible, bring him back. A living leader would be invaluable for our research and experimentation.”
Gu Chi nodded. “Understood.”
“Thank you for your hard work,” Professor Yu sighed. “You and your team… the weight you carry is heavier than most.”
He muttered irritably, “Seventh-level ability users… Why does the other one have such a rotten attitude?”
Gu Chi frowned. “Ye Wuhan? Did something happen?”
“That brat’s been at odds with our institute lately—got into several conflicts. Nobody knows what set him off. He’s a level seven like you, but unlike you, no one else in the research division can rein him in.”
“Isn’t headquarters stepping in?”
“I’ve warned them plenty. But… he’s a senior commander and a top-tier ability user. Who wants to offend him?”
Gu Chi’s brow furrowed. “He hasn’t gone on a mission?”
It was unusual—high-level users rarely stayed idle at headquarters for long. Last time he’d seen Ye Wuhan, the man had already lingered at headquarters for days. Now it must be at least ten.
“Apparently it has something to do with that girl Yun Ling,” Professor Yu said. “Whatever it is, he’s been sticking around.”
Yun Ling?
Gu Chi recalled the girl who’d once offered Chi Ying a carrot. The two had seemed close.
“Is she okay?”
“Seems fine. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but that girl’s tough. She won’t be bullied.”
Professor Yu let out a long breath. “Anyway, the higher-ups are working on getting Ye Wuhan out on a task soon. Once he’s gone, things should calm down.”
Gu Chi acknowledged with a few words and ended the call.
He didn’t dwell on Ye Wuhan’s issues. Whatever the man’s attitude, he was still serving the alliance. Gu Chi had no official authority over him—just the title of senior commander and captain of the exploration team. That didn’t give him the right to reprimand anyone.
Shaking the thought off, he took out the locator from headquarters and began plotting their next route.
Eight markers remained. The nearest location where a suspected leader had appeared was…
A Class B security zone.
He marked the spot and shut off the locator.
—
Elsewhere, Chi Ying finally slipped out of the room after some effort. She spent quite a bit of time locating the supply team stationed in this safe zone.
Unlike the headquarters, the A-level security zone had limited resources—only two supply trucks, both significantly smaller.
This was when the system stirred again:
【Pick more items. Especially small ones!】
Small items could be distributed more widely, helping her gather more “Holy Mother value.”
Chi Ying spent nearly 30,000 points, converting them all into supplies and filling the supply truck.
Once finished, she quietly returned to her room under cover of night.
After a quick wash, she collapsed into bed, eyes already closing as she yawned.
Tomorrow they would leave for the next suspected location of a zombie leader. She needed a good night’s rest.
—
【Host…】
Still half-asleep, Chi Ying opened her eyes.
“What is it?”
【You disabled notifications for your Holy Mother value, but I just noticed an unusual point increase.】
Chi Ying blinked. “You actually track those one by one?”
【…】
Of course it did. Counting points was the system’s favorite hobby—but it would never admit that.
【There was a record of 10,000 points credited to your account the day before yesterday.】
Chi Ying paused, then frowned. “Ten thousand… that must’ve been Yun Ling.”
【Is there anything you did earlier that might’ve had a big impact on her?】
Chi Ying thought back, then shook her head. “Not really.”
【Hmm… strange.】
Chi Ying grew a bit concerned. “Is something wrong?”
【No, she has protagonist-level plot protection. If something did happen, I’d receive alerts from the main system.】
Chi Ying exhaled. “Oh, that’s good.”
Relieved, she turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
—
Early the next morning, they set out again toward their next destination.
Even though the location Gu Chi chose was the closest, the journey would still take four or five days.
Surprisingly, no one showed signs of fatigue. The atmosphere since leaving headquarters had been energetic and focused.
That evening, as they gathered around a fire for dinner, Mu Yu suddenly spoke.
“Um… I have something to say.”
Lu Yunfei raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Why so serious?”
Mu Yu’s cheeks flushed slightly, her excitement barely hidden.
“Last night… my fire and space abilities both advanced to level four.”
Gu Chi blinked, then smiled warmly. “Congratulations. Dual-element users are already rare. Reaching level four is a big milestone.”
“Cough, cough,” Lu Yunfei faked a dramatic cough.
When everyone turned to look, he raised his eyebrows smugly.
“Actually, I hit level five the other day.”
Mu Yu stared at him. “Level five?!”
In the entire alliance, very few people reached that level. Even Xu Nian, commander of Safe Zone 9, was a level five.
With that kind of power, Lu Yunfei could hold command over any A-level zone. Even if he stayed at headquarters, he’d have significant influence.
Song Shi chuckled. “I’ve been close too. Didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up, but I’m nearly at a breakthrough.”
“I think I am too…” Lin Xun, who’d been quiet until now, murmured. “Still at level four, but I can feel it coming.”
Mu Yu leaned back dramatically. “Great. I’m at the bottom of the ladder again.”
Gu Chi’s expression grew serious as he listened.
“Everyone’s abilities are advancing at the same time. That’s unusual.”
Lu Yunfei scratched his chin. “Nothing felt off to me. It’s like… the speed of improvement just spiked.”
Gu Chi narrowed his eyes. “When did it start?”
“Not sure,” Lu Yunfei said after thinking. “Sometime after we left headquarters.”
“Same for me,” Mu Yu nodded.
Gu Chi frowned. “Strange. What could be causing such a synchronized increase in ability levels?”
Just then, Chi Ying, who had been silently sipping soup, looked up with a sudden realization.
She glanced down at her bowl of sweet carrot soup.
Ah…
Maybe this is it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Author’s note:
Things are starting to connect… 🥕✨
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1